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What to Know About Where to Go In 2022: A New Year’s Data Center and Edge State of Affairs

What to Know About Where to Go In 2022: A New Year’s Data Center and Edge State of Affairs Image Credit: zhudifeng/Bigstockphoto.com

When it comes to digital transformation, the old adage ‘new year, new me’ is a fitting description of the way that many evolving organizations look ahead and plan for enhanced success when the New Year rolls around. After 2021’s rapid changes - brought on by lingering disruption from global pandemics and a race to preserve competitive advantages while empowering new, cutting-edge applications - 2022 shows no signs of slowing down tech-wise. 

Every business, depending on its particular requirements, goals, applications, footprints and vertical, engages in different digital transformations. Each one is slightly different. However, there are a few emerging trends and technologies that hold a lot of value consistently across a host of use cases. It will be this handful of IT strategies that will accelerate, or even redefine, 2022’s global business landscape and digital economy. Let’s dive in.

#1: The rise of the IX holds strong

In the pursuit of robust connectivity, the Internet Exchange (IX) quickly proved to be the digital organization’s best friend. The proliferation of the IX and peering - the act of direct interconnection that happens at these locations to form network ecosystems - was driven by an increasing need for network flexibility, resilience, agility and cost savings. The benefits of the IX are clear, but still not fully known to some. Soon, this knowledge gap about interconnection will no longer exist, as it is rapidly becoming a vital part of any highly capable IT framework. 

What makes the IX and peering so revolutionary are its reimagination of traditional traffic flows and procedures. Typical internet connections of yesterday utilized transit connections, which purchased transit services from upstream providers so the data could be carried to its destination. Not only did this incur additional charges, but it also created a total disconnect between businesses and their data. Once the traffic was handed off, organizations had no control over what route it took to get to its destination, which means that route optimization often didn’t occur. This results in latency and rampant inefficiencies, both of which are huge impediments in an IoT, 5G, edge application-driven world that relies on speed. In an age when data is our most powerful asset, staying in touch as much as possible is an imperative. 

With peering at an IX, networks cut out the third-party transit provider and directly connect to one another. This eliminates the need for additional fees and offers way more control over the data. Plus, with these peering ecosystems growing by the day, organizations that are connected have more options than ever before to route their data, which means redundancy and efficiency are only improving. As everyone looks to become faster and add data mobility in the new year, the IX will move even more toward the center of the globe’s connectivity stage. 

#2: Redrawing our map of connections

It’s no secret that the world’s IT has been moving toward the edge - but, where exactly is that edge, and what defines it? Common thought tells us that the edge is wherever the network is closest to the end user. However, as footprints change and organizations must reach more locations and platforms more efficiently, is it time we adjust that impression of where the optimized edge really resides?

Perhaps it’s time we enter the era driven by an idea of connectivity potential. This is a continuation, or perhaps even an improvement, on the traditional edge mindset. It doesn’t so much focus on always being as close to the very edge of the network as possible as it does on being where connectivity potential is highest - giving organizations the quickest access to the greatest number of locations instead of the quickest access in one market alone. It’s a classic ‘best bang for your buck’ situation. 

To date, the topology of business connectivity has been drawn by major hubs. It makes sense - go where there are the most number of businesses and users to connect to. But then, the map expanded to focus on additional, more edge-focused markets. However, not all edge markets hold the same value. 

Sourcing data centers and crafting an IT footprint based on connectivity potential (while still keeping in mind the location of core user bases, business locations and platforms) is what will drive a truly robust result. Connectivity potential can be determined by assessing both geographic location and ecosystem availability. 

In the case of location, it can be as easy as triangulating centralized locations on the map, since being central is often the best way to be closest to the most destinations. It’s this kind of thinking that’s helping to give Omaha, Nebraska, a huge leg up on the national connectivity map. Central locations like this are where major confluence points for cloud, content and carriers reside for multi-directional access to other major hubs, and it’s where we’ll see major growth continue in the near future. 

The data center ecosystem is also key. One location doesn’t have to provide just one connection - it can provide as many as your PoP provides. This means seeking a point of presence with a plethora of connections from a large ecosystem will be the best choice for connectivity potential. Altogether, in 2022, it’s time we get creative about how we’re sourcing our connectivity. 

#3: Hybrid multicloud: how to be king of everything

First came data centers, then came clouds, which then gave way to multiple clouds and more. Now, we find ourselves in a veritable wonderland of places to put our workloads and applications. Today, hybrid and multicloud (HMC) frameworks are continuing to underscore their own abilities as the next frontier of business IT. 

Essentially, this strategy takes the traditional cloud approach and allows for customization. Each cloud and IT location (On-premises private infrastructure, public clouds, etc.) offer their own unique advantages. Differences in functionality even exist between the public cloud providers. Now, getting the best IT results means getting exactly what businesses need, wherever they can get it. So, mixed-platform strategies are key. 

Whether businesses need to allocate workloads across both on-premises facilities and third-party clouds from the major providers, or are looking to tailor their cloud usage to add cost efficiencies or greater capabilities with multiple providers, HMC does it all. Turns out, however, that these opportunities may not be so wondrous if businesses don’t know how to navigate them or make them fit together. 

Retaining simplicity while adding more platforms from more providers, and divvying up applications across all these locations, can be nearly impossible. This is why, in the new year, we’ll see data center partners that can help their customers leverage HMC opportunities become highly sought after parts of the IT arsenal. 

#4: Takeaways from a year gone by

The world is continuing to change, and IT is continuing to change as well. Digital transformation doesn’t take holidays, and it certainly doesn’t wait for anyone. Luckily, insights from a year of evolution set us up well for adaptation in 2022. So, what are the key lessons learned? It’s all about connections. Reaching new markets, networks, platforms and more will make us more powerful and far-reaching than ever - but only if organizations can cultivate an efficient connectivity strategy that breaks the mold built by IT frameworks of old. 

Author

Todd Cushing is a nationally recognized Data Center and Telecom Executive with 25+ years of experience. Todd’s primary roles include the design and oversight of the technology infrastructure of 1623 Farnam data center, establishing and maintaining relationships with telecom carriers and providing technology direction and support for customers. Prior to joining 1623 Farnam, Todd was a Tenant Representative Broker for CBRE Data Center Real Estate and Olsson Engineering focusing on site selection and design for data centers worldwide.

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